Stuffing machine



April 17, 1928. 1,666,631

O. C. SCHMIDT $TUFF1NG MACHINE Patented Apr. 17, 1928.

oscA'n o. SCHMIDT, o'F'CINcrNNATI, o'HIo, AssrGNoR To'irHE CINCINNA'H'BUTCHEBS' SUPPLY COMPANY, orr- CINCINNATI, oH10,`A GORPoRA'rIoN'oF oHIo.

s'rUrFING MACHINE.

Application -led September 16,1927. :Seria1-`No.'219f,942.

My invention relates -Lto y stuffing machines applicable for stuliingsausage `casings, andv casing or container of thestung machine;y

to jprovide novel means whereby the A cover of the stuing machine -is supported and' moved; to provide novel means-dior clamping the cover in place; to provde novel means `whereby emptying 'of the vcasi-ng is assured; and toprovi'defnovel'means whereby accidental movement of ,the .press-head out of thev casing-is avoided.

The invention will vbe ,juither` readily understood fromfthe following,description-,and claims, 'and `from the drawings, in which latter: A y

-F ig. 1-'is-'a sidev elevation' of my improved device, partly in axial fsectiontaken on vthe line 1-1 of Fig.- 2,-and-partly broken away, and showing the yoke and cover' in-clamped position infull -l-inesyand, swung back-in dottedv lines. Y l

Fig. 2 isa planview of the same. y

Fig. 3 isl a-horizontalsection of a detail view takenfi-n the pla-ne of theline-B-*S of Fig. 1; and, v l

Fig. 4;' is anV enlarged vertical section of a.

vdetail taken-on the line 'of-Fig. I

In the Vpresent exemplification' of my improved device, the stufling machine -comprises aY casing 11, which has an-inner wall 12, which ,isy fprefera'bly cylindrical. LA

press-head 13v f is vcaused to -move -up fand down :in said casing. y ',Ihispress-head is of usual construction. 'Thevv meat-dough or other' plastic materialiswplaced -inthel casing "at,V one end; ofi the press-head and. pressure is'applied-to the'fother endfofl the presshead.: This pressure' is .usuallyl Eobtained?by com-pressed `fluid, such f as vair,water/for steam, vreceived through -af-porty15 inft-he lower end of v'the casing. 1A-,.feed-pipe 16 has connection with V4said :port-'and is 'vpro-A vided v'with a-vusual control 'valve for causing the' compressed ilu-id to enteror discharge from' the 'operating vend-,of the casing. :The pressure by the .compressed Vfluid upon the pressiheadcauses pressure fupon the body 1,17

. of material in the material .end oa-the casing.

with -an-.exit-,port 21. `A nozzle 22s suit-` ably secured to the vexit-port, Va Afecal-valve, 23 being located between the nozzle and the casing for controlling theexit of ythe materalfrom the casing bythe-pressure ofthe press-head thereon. V n f f The pressure-required to Imove the presshead .is Adependent on. the weight of the press-head and the .consistency of -.the -inater-ial.' This ,pressure yis'often -very great andit: has v`happened that the press-head l has been accidently lforced or blown outof-the casing fby the pressure .in rear .thereof.

In Order to safely confine the vpress-head within the f casing, a .safety-ringy 24 7is fXed at one endiofthe casing,being shown bolted to thenpper endofthecasing-by means ofbolts 25; This safety-ringfforms' a-radi- `ally `'inwardly eXtendingfannul-ar ledge 26,

which loverlaps vthe end-of the inner wall of the cas1ng, The upper wall -27 lof the yexit-port 21 s lantsupwardly at its inner end-vso' that thefinnerendlof saidupper wall is substantiallyk in, the y'plane ofnthe lowen face 2 8k of lsaid Vinwardly extending annular ledge. This lower-face is preferably flat.

Y A cover Slis provided for-the casing. It has an outer annular-periphery 32, which convergesv downwardly and inwardly, to form one wall ofthe joint -with the safetyring. The Vsafety-ring is 'provided .with :an

inner .periphery .33, which converges radially inwardly an'd downwardly and is complemental tothe inwardly and downwardly converging outer periphery of ythe cover, for-ming a' seat lfor thelatter. IThe outer periphery-of thecover isprovided with an annular -l groove 34,in whicha-n annular packing ringisreceivedfwhichlis preferablyresi-lient,as-.by beingmade of soft rubber.

Y The packing ring coacts-w-ith the seat in the ysafety-ring;and insures la tight joint` between ,theisafety-ringQ-and thel cover. lThis rannular 1 .groove yis j preferably I cross-sectionally fin the for-m; substantially of a: sector of a circle includingthemajor-part'fof thefoir- "cle,and'theiannularg packing ring 35 isprefy y The mtefialiendofl fthe casing. is provided The bottomofthecover is preferablyilat and when seated is preferably in the plane of the lower face of the annular ledge 26 formed by the safety-ring. The top of the presshead is also `preferably fiat. This relation of parts has the advantage that when the press-head is moved in extruding direction, that the upper face of the Vpresshead and the lower faces of said annular ledge and cover may substantially come in contact so as to force out or extrude substan tially all of the material in the casing, the upper portion of the inner end of the exit port receiving the last of the material thus forced out or extruded. The cover is mounted on a yoke 36, which has a bearing 37 about a pivot-rod'38, located in a bearing 39 in the casingand a bearing 40 in the safety-ring. A -washer 42 is interposed between the safety-ring and the bearing 37. The pivot-rod has a head 43 at one end, its other end being `threaded as at 44C for reception of a nut 45,-a'washer 46 being interposed between the nut and the bearing 39.

Slight movement in axial direction is per# mitted the yoke as indicated by the space 48 between the bearing'37 and the washer 42. The yoke supports the cover which depends from the yoke. thereon is arranged to swing on the pivoting means betweenv the casing and one end of the yoke for movingthe `cover either partially or entirely away from the top of the casing. The yoke can be swung so as to place the cover infront ofthe discharge side of the casing, so thatthe casing may be charged with fthe materia-l either Afrom the rear or from either sidef thereof;

The yoke isprovided with `a. nut'l, a nut 52 is secured tothe cover. The `nuts are threaded in opposite directions, the one being a right hand thread and the other a left hand thread. lA screw-'rod 53 is provided with threads 54, 55, at its respective ends, which lead in opposite directions and are complement to the respective threads in the-nuts 5l, 52. The cover is provided with-a recess 56 for reception of the lower end of the screw-rod. The v.upper .end of the screwrod has a turning means S7-secured thereto, shown as a wheel provided with arms-w58. lVlien the whccl'is turned, rotation of the screw causes axial movement of the cover a distance which is the sum of the leads ofthe complemental tlnje'ads thereon, for quick axial movement ofthe cover and rapidly openingand closing th'ecasing. l 'l f' The swinging end of the yoke is provided with a hook 61 rigidtherewith,y which'isreceived under av lug 62 rigid with the casing. llhelower'endof said lug iis-provided with Va hardened'facingstripv 63 to resist wear'b'eltween the parts. VThis facing' strip. isiixedl to the lug by screws 64C received through the upturned ends of the facing strip andv thread- The yokewith the coverl ed into the lug 62. The complemental faces of this facing strip and of the hook form stops to limit outward axial movement of the yoke. lVhen the screw-rode53 turned to raise the cover, thelyoke drops by gravityso 'that its bearing 37 'restson the Vwasher 42 for closing the space 48. The swinging end of the yoke also descends so as to distance the hook 6l` from its complemental stop 63 on the casing an axial distance. equal to the space i8 for ready release of the yoke and permitting ready and easy swinging of the yoke and the cover supported thereby.v

.A latch 66 is arranged to center `the yoke with relation to thccasing, so as to center' the cover with relation to the safety-ring. The latch exemplified*comprises a plunger 67, provided with a collar 68 in a. recess 69 in the swinging Vendv of the yoke, a spring 70 being received about the stem 7l ofv said plunger between said collarV and "a plug 72 threaded inthe outer end of said recess. The latch end-of the plunger coacts with a keeper 73. which has converging faces 74 with which the inner lrounded vend of the plunger coacts, for locating the inner end of the plunger in the bottom ofthe groove formed -by said converging faces, in which relation the cover is central withrelation to its seat. j' 'l The keeper is further provided with outer inclined faces 75 which formriding faces for the plunger when swinging the yoke into central position from either direction. The groove formed by the"V converging faces V74 extends in axial direction, so that axial movement of the yoke may takeplace by'rotation of the screw-rod 53 for seatingor unseating the `cover while said lyokeis maintained hin central position.

kIn thepresent exemplification the fpresshead ismoved in'extruding direction by the pressure of compressed fiuidvunder the same, the pressdicad moving in opposite. direction by the force of its weight and the release of the compressed Huid thereunder.

The meat-dough is usually-'shoveled into the top Vof th'e'casing, the cover `31having been swung out of the way, therebyl also removing the packing-ring 35 fromthefdanger of being contacted `by i the shovel or fotherr implement-used in filling the casing.

. Having thus fully described my invention,

Letters Patent, is:

what I claim new, and desire to secure by n l. In a stuffing machine 'of the character said end, meansffor pivoting oneend .of-

said yoke to 'said casing permitting axial movement of 4said -yoke at 'the pivot thereof,

a stop for said aXial movement, a stopV between the swinging end of said yoke and said casing for limiting aX'ial movement of said yoke Vat said swinging end, and an automatic spring latch including a springpressed plunger and complemental laterally inclined faces between said-swinging end of said yoke and said casing, means to permit automatic resilient movement of said springpressed plunger iii directions radial with relation to said casing, said inclined faces converging laterally, and constructed and' arranged t'or automaticallylaterally centering said coverin both directions with relation to said casing, and said converging inclined faces forming a slot parallel with said axial movement permitting such axial movement of said swinging end whilst maintaining said cover in such centered relation,

2. In a stuffing inachineoi` the character described, the combination of a casing prolocated in substantially the same plane perpendicular to the axis of said casing when said cover is so seated in said safety-ring, said casing provided `with an exit port7 the inner end ot' whose upper wall is substantially in the said plane in which said flat inner end of said cover and said inner end of-said annular ledge are located when *saidVV cover is so seated in said safety-ring, and said press-head provided with a flat top arranged to coact with said inner ends of said annular ledge and oi said cover for pressing lsubstantially all the material between said press-head and said cover out of'said casing and preventing outward movement ot' said press-head beyond said inner end of said annular ledge.

3. In a stuiling machine of the character described, the combination of a casing provided with a cylindrical inner wall, a presshead operable therein, a safety-ring secured at the end of said' casing and forming an annular ledge provided with an inner annular flange face extending radially inwardly overlapping the end of said inner wall and forming an inner flange-face limiting outward movement ot' said press-head, said safety-ring lprovided with an annular inwardly downwardly converging inner pe ,f riphery forming a seat tor a cover, a cover having an annular inwardly downwardlyy converging outer periphery which converges downwardly complemental yto said inwardly converging inner periphery of said safety-ring,` said coverY provided with an inner at end, said outer periphery of said cover provided with an .annular slot,

and an annular resilient packing ring in said slot coacting with said inwardly converging inner periphery of said safety-ring,

whereby radially outward pressure is exerted on said packing ring to compress said packing ring upon seating of said cover,

l ing of said cover.

In ytestimony whereof, I lhave hereunto signed my name. v

. OSCAR C. SCHMIDT.

and said annular inwardly downwardly con- 

